Lewis Hine Essay

Jacob Cavenee

Art 177-001

Professor Pease

16 February 2016

Lewis Hine

            Lewis Hine was born in Wisconsin in1867. He became a school teacher and a photographer (Getty Museum). Hine as a big supporter of taking pictures for “social reform.” In 1904, Hine had a big photography project he did on Ellis island. He took photographs of immigrants on Ellis island, as well as the tenements and sweatshops where they lived and worked (bio.com). After that project he was hired by the National Child Labor Committee, to take pictures of child labor pictures (bio.com). A lot of people associate Hine as a sociological photographer and photojournalist. Hine began going to different factories to take photos of different children around 1908. Hine would use different disguises to attain access into the factories (Aviles). It became very dangerous for Hine to go and take photos. Photography was still starting up, and many people did not take it very seriously. He is known to be the first person to use photography as a documentary tool (Getty Museum). In 1909, Hine published his child labor pictures for the Nation Child Labor Committee (The History Place). Although, some laws for child labor had been in place, after Hine published his photos the government took it seriously putting a bigger ban on what they could and couldn’t do (The History Place). After his work with the National Child Labor Committee, Hine began to freelance his photography. Another big project that he did was taking construction pictures of the empire state building. Hine took photos of the men working in very high heights to get the project completed (Twistedsifter). In order to get the best photos, Hine would go up in a basket, go up about a thousand feet to take the best angle (Twistedsifter). After that project, he did more freelance work. His last years of life were filled with lots of struggles. He did not receive a lot of photography work, and the government didn’t offer corporate patronage (Getty Museum). Not a lot of people were interested in his photography at the time. Eventually, Hine lost his home and applied for welfare. Hine died in 1940 (Getty museum). After his death, a museum of his work was put in place to honor his death. Although not many people appreciated his photos back then, he is still a very photographer with his work still being sold.

All photos from The History Place

Sources:

Works Citied

Aviles, Luis. "Lewis W. Hine - Biography." Lewis W. Hine - Biography. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2016.

"Lewis W. Hine." Getty Museum. Getty Museum, n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2016

"Lewis Hine Photography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2016.

"Photos of the Empire State Building Under Construction." TwistedSifter. TwistedSifter, 20 June 2012. Web. 16 Feb. 2016.

"The History Place - Child Labor in America: About Photographer Lewis Hine." The History Place - Child Labor in America: About Photographer Lewis Hine. The History Place, n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2016.